Oklahoma agricultural producers, greenhouse and nursery operators, certified applicators and pesticide dealers can get rid of unwanted pesticides at four locations in December.

Collections times are 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at all four locations: Dec. 2, Pittsburgh County Fairgrounds in McAlester; Dec. 4, Creek County Fairgrounds in Kellyville; December 9, Morrison Grain in Morrison; and Dec. 11, W.B. Johnston Grain Elevator located approximately 13 miles south of Woodward.

The collections will take only pesticides; no other types of hazardous waste such as oil, paint or antifreeze will be accepted. All pesticides will be taken, no matter the size.

“No questions will be asked of participants,” said Charles Luper, Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service associate with the Oklahoma State University Pesticide Safety Education Program.

Luper said the intent of the collection service is not to prosecute participants for illegal management practices but to reduce potential health and environmental concerns by removing unwanted pesticides from storage.

The program is funded by the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, with additional support from the Oklahoma Agribusiness Retailers Association and the OSU Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources.

ODAFF has contracted with Clean Harbors, a licensed hazardous waste company, to collect and properly dispose of waste pesticides in Oklahoma.

“Unwanted pesticides are those that are unusable as originally intended for a variety of reasons, including leftover pesticides, pesticides that are no longer registered in Oklahoma and pesticides that no longer have labels or are no longer identifiable,” Luper said.

There is no cost for the first 2,500 pounds of pesticides brought in by a participant. Anything more than 2,500 pounds will be charged to the participant at the rate of $1 per pound for all pesticides except those that are mercury based. The rate for mercury based pesticides is $2.22 per pound for disposal.

“Clean Harbors will accept payment in the form of a check or credit card at the disposal site,” Luper said. “Cash payments will not be accepted.”

Applicators, greenhouse operators and agricultural producers are not required to pre-register. Pesticide dealers are asked to pre-register with Clean Harbors through the OSU Pesticide Safety Education Program at http://pested.okstate.edu/unwanted.htm on the Internet.

“Dealers are asked to pre-register because of the potential for large quantities of pesticides coming from multiple dealers or multiple locations,” Luper said. “Pre-registration will help Clean Harbors know what will be needed on-site to effectively handle collection amounts.”

For additional information and location maps, visit the OSU Pesticide Safety Education Program site on the Internet or contact Luper at 405-744-5808 or Jason Baker of ODAFF at 405-522-5993.